From the Cold
by BoredomIsAnUnderstatement
Summary: For 10yrsy, pre-slash, '12-verse: The boys go out for a regular patrol and it's COLD outside. After splitting up into two teams, Leo tries to warm Raph up.


**From the Cold**

_**Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles**_** (2012 cartoon)  
**

Raphael hated the cold. It always made him feel sluggish and tired, which, in turn, made him more agitated than usual. Donnie called that feeling "lethargy" or "being lethargic." Raph called it "being fucking freezing." He rubbed his dry palms together and breathed hot air into them as he stood on a rooftop to wait for his brothers. An icy wind drifted languidly passed and sent a shiver through his bones, making him scowl and wrap his arms around himself. It was freaking May and yet, for New York, it still felt like it could've been Christmas.

"Sixty degrees my ass..." he muttered. A soft set of feet landed nearby and padded up behind him - he didn't have to look to know who it was.

"The news said it's supposed to get down to forty-five tonight with a chance of rain," Leo commented. The shorter turtle only laughed bitterly and hugged his plastron tighter in response.

To be completely honest, Leo did feel bad for Raph. He understood that the cold made him numb and that numbness made him feel useless, but there was really nothing any of them could do about it. They were reptiles, after all (albeit mutated ones). They weren't meant to be active in chilly weather; they were meant to hibernate. The fact that they didn't because of their cross-mutation with human DNA...well, not getting enough sleep made everyone a bit cranky.

"Let's just make this patrol quick so we can go home..." Raphael snarled. If his brother didn't know any better, he would've certainly described it as a whine and a pout, and would've teased him about it. Good thing he did know better.

Leo nodded in answer and, when Donnie and Mikey caught up to them, they all agreed to finish the night within a few hours. Donatello suggested that they could speed up their routines by splitting into two teams, calling the others if they got into trouble. When that was agreed upon, the purple- and orange-banded boys leapt off into the west while Leo had to half-drag the frozen Raph to the east.

"C'mon," he urged, "maybe beating the tar outta some Foot or Dragons will warm you up."

The muscle-head glared at his enthusiasm, muttering an irritated "I doubt it" under his breath. Leo chose to ignore the negativity in lieu of searching for something active for them to do together. If they didn't find a criminal for Raph to pummel soon, it was likely that he would either shut down completely or beat on him. He'd rather not have to carry one of them back down the sewers if he could prevent it.

After about three hours, the two found themselves in a rather dilapidated looking playground behind an elementary school, not having discovered a single crime-doer at all. The older sibling could practically feel Raph's edginess rising through the frigid air, the clipped nature of the very few words he spoke ringing with hatred. With a sigh that transformed into white smoke, Leo looked around while Raph settled in on a rusted merry-go-round, rubbing his arms absently for warmth. The full moon was crystal sharp overhead as it cut through the atmosphere, casting them in a pearlescent glow that occasionally became muddled as thick clouds scuttled across it. Everything was in a hush - no cars passed by on the nearby streets, no passersby cluttered the sidewalks - it was as if the earth was dead. Even the spindly birch trees' branches refused to grow as they stretched like skeletal fingers towards the sky. It was peaceful, if melancholic and cold. They were entirely alone here.

A grunt from his brother and a creak from the merry-go-round brought Leo down from his thoughts and reminded him of Raphael's discomfort. He turned to look at him in pity when a gleam of reflected light caught the corner of his eye. Over near the school doors sat a large, clear box that resembled something like a glass dumpster with the words "LOST AND FOUND" printed on its surface in pealing, black Comic Sans. Inside it, the turtle could just make out some sort cloth...

"Hey, let me borrow one of your sai," Leo commanded suddenly, snapping the silence; without waiting for a response, he ran up to his brother and stole one of his weapons from his belt. "I'll be back in a sec!" That said, he dashed off to the box.

Moments later, Leonardo returned with his hands held behind his back and a sneaky grin on his face.

"W-Wh-Where's my sai?" Raph grumbled. He quietly cursed the stutter in his voice, then blinked: a fat, fluffy, white _thing_ just flew by his beak. He whipped his head around to follow it as it landed on the old, cold metal next to him and stayed there.

It was a God-damned snowflake, and if there was one thing Raphael knew about snowflakes, it was that they tended to travel in packs.

Within minutes, the entire playground was covered in the thick stuff - it clung to everything, including the ridges on both of their shells, much to the younger boy's annoyance. Leo, however, softly smiled as he looked up, his hands subconsciously coming out from behind him to catch the falling snow. He appeared...genuinely tranquil.

From the struggling moonlight, Raph saw a long, blue fabric cascading down from his brother's hand, his stolen sai held in the other. "The hell's th-that?" he chattered, pointing out the unrecognizable thing.

As if he'd forgotten himself, Leo turned to his brother in surprise, then glanced at his right hand. With a chuckle and a sheepish grin, he looked back to Raph and stepped forward. "Stand up - maybe this'll help with your 'cold problem'."

He eyed his older sibling warily, very reluctant to move from his spot as it would only freeze over again, but, after a moment, did as he was told. With that same soft smile as before, Leonardo draped the rich, pale blue material around Raph's neck and slowly began to work it into a loose knot. His eyes were hooded and his cheeks were slightly darker than usual, but maybe it was just the weird light...? Raph watched him with a raised brow, not really noticing the corner of his own mouth as it turned up.

When the scarf was secure, Leo dared to meet the other boy's bright emerald eyes, blushing a bit harder when he saw that they were staring into his. His fingertips lingered on the fabric - it was only after a moment that he realized Raph's hands were brushing against them. Everything was so quiet...all that existed were eyes and hands and snow...

"HEY, LEO!- RAPH! YOU GUYS DOWN THERE?! IT'S GETTIN' PRETTY LATE - AND IT'S _SNOWING!_ WE SHOULD PROBABLY HEAD HOME NOW, Y'KNOW?!"

Just like that, the moment was gone. Like nothing had happened at all, Raphael turned around and yelled back to Mikey that he should learn to keep his voice down and that they were right about to go home anyway. In a slight daze, Leo followed behind the Resident Attitude as he leapt his way up to their other brothers. Within fifteen minutes, it was decided that the city's criminals had most likely stayed within the comforts of their own homes (or jail cells) to stay out the freezing weather, and the four were soon on their way to a man-hole nearby.

Being the last to slip down into the tunnels, Raph paused a moment at the opening to look out at the now distant playground that was slowly being engulfed in white. Some kid was probably going to be very upset tomorrow because he wouldn't be able to find his scarf, but the turtle just couldn't find it in himself to care. _Leo_ had given it to him, and in that small moment where everything was silent and still and peaceful...the chill that had seeped into his bones throughout the night had boiled over into something new. He wasn't quite sure what yet, but he knew, with one last glance at the merry-go-round, that he'd definitely like whatever it had become. With that thought in his mind and a grin crossing his lips, he pulled the cover closed.

**Author's Note:**** The first quarter of this was written on my phone to drum up inspiration for a drawing for my friend's birthday (the amazing ****~10yrsy**** over on deviantART). However, as it's now two weeks or so after the fact and the picture still isn't finished (I'm having a horrible time shading the damn thing without a tablet - mice are good for most things, but a lack of pressure sensitivity will eventually catch up to you), I figured I'd go ahead and finish it up and give the drabble to her instead. If I ever DO complete the drawing, I'll post it on my dA account, put a link in my Bio, and (probably) make it the title picture of this story here on FFN.**

** In my head, this is pre-slash, but it can be read as simple brotherly love instead, I suppose. Anyway, I hope you all liked it - and I hope she liked it, too, but I have no idea if she does or not because she has yet to tell me her opinion on it - and, if you wouldn't mind, I'd love it if you'd leave a review. Kind words are wonderful, critiques help me to improve, and even flames make me more determined to write, if only to annoy. ;D**


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